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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1994/02/22-Agenda-Pre-Council PRE-COUNCIL MEETING TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1994 8:30 A.M. PRE-COUNCIL CHAMBER 1) Responses to M&C's Continued from a Previous Week- None 2) Questions Concerning Current Agenda Items - Bob Terrell, City Manager 3) Purchase of Surplus Land for East Regional Library-Ramon Guajardo,Assistant City Manager 4) Rebudgeting of Funds for Emergency Repairs (M&C G-10559) - Libby Watson,, Assistant City Manager 5) 1994 Federal Legislative Agenda - Libby Watson, Assistant City Manager 6) Discussion of U.S. Housing and Urban Development Proposed Empowerment Zones/Enterprise Communities (M&C C-14196)-Mike Groomer,Assistant City Manager 7) City Council Request for Future Agenda Items The Pre-Council meeting is scheduled to end at 9:45 a.m. THE PURPOSE OF A PRE-COUNCIL MEETING HELD PRIOR TO A REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING IS MALLOW THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS M INFORMALLY DISCUSS ITEMS ON THE AGENDA AND M SECURE INFORMATION FROM THE CITY MANAGER AND THE STAFF.ALTHOUGH THE MEETING IS OPEN M THE PUBLIC, CITIZENS ARE REQUESTED M RESERVE COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS FOR THE SUBSEQUENT COUNCIL MEETING SO THEY WILL BE A PART OF THE PUBLIC RECORD. "This facility is wheelchair accessible. For accommodations or sign interpretive services, please call the City Manager's Office at 8"-610,48 hours in advance." OFFICIAL RECORD CITY SECRETARY FT. WORTH, TEL AW p NOTES FROM FEBRUARY 22, 1994 PRE-COUNCIL AND COUNCIL MEETINGS FOR FEBRUARY 23, 1994 CITY MANAGER'S STAFF MEETING PRE-COUNCIL 1. Responses to M&C's Continued from a Previous Week - None. 2. Questions Concerning Current Agenda Items a) M&C G-10549 - Request for Reallocation of CDBG Funds for Eastwood Model Blocks Project. COUNCIL: Mr. Meadows questioned the CDC vote in which 5 members abstained. STAFF: Joe Paniagua stated that several of the members were not comfortable with spending money on streets, and were not comfortable with voting on the issue. Mr. Terrell stated that using CDBG funds for streets was a policy decision made by a former Council. i ACTION: None. b) Mr. Meadows stated that over the last several weeks, the Council has approved a large amount of funding for design services, and suggested that Council should know the criteria and selection process used, especially regarding DBE participation and FW firms. He and Mayor Granger asked staff to brief Council on this issue. STAFF: Mr. Terrell stated that staff will provide a report on these issues and will schedule a briefing. ACTION: Provide selection criteria to Council and schedule a briefing on this issue. c) M&C G-10553 - Payment of Prior Year's State Court Costs and Fees Collected by Municipal Court. COUNCIL: Mr. Silcox asked if this payment resulted from something unforeseen, or if it could have been prevented. OF7SECRETARY 1 CF AMW ..o, STAFF: ACM Watson stated that this payment is the result of a State audit, which found that the City, through reporting errors, had not remitted to the State all costs and fees that should have been remitted. COUNCIL: Mr. Silcox asked if staff has corrected the problems that resulted in the reporting errors. Mayor Granger asked that staff inform Council of the status of our outstanding tickets and what staff is doing about them. STAFF: ACM Watson stated that a report concerning this issue was sent out in the Council packets. ACTION: Schedule a Council briefing on the status of outstanding tickets. 3. Purchase of Surplus Land for East Regional Library SUMMARY: ACM Guajardo presented a map of the land purchased for the E.-Regional Library and the proximity of the land in question. He stated that it will be less expensive to construct if the adjacent lot is purchased,but staff cannot estimate how much would be saved. COUNCIL: Rev. Jackson asked why it will be necessary to close down the Meadowbrook branch when the E. Regional Library opens. Mayor Granger stated that the whole library system must be looked at. She stated that we continue to reduce the hours of operation and supplies while at the same time we are constructing a new building. She stated her desire to schedule a session regarding the whole library issue and the direction Council wants to take regarding people, supplies, hours, buildings, etc. Mr. Meadows expressed his concern that we would be purchasing the land as a matter of convenience, when that decision should be made with a broader perspective in mind. STAFF: ACM Guajardo responded to Rev. Jackson that no decision regarding the status of the Meadowbrook branch has been made by Council, and that the option of closing it came up during the Budget Study Sessions last summer as a means of lessening the operating costs of the E. Regional Library. In response to Mayor Granger, Mr. Terrell suggested also providing information regarding the service level reductions that have taken place at the Library over the last several fiscal years. COUNCIL: Ms. Haskin stated that the adjacent land would be an asset if it could be purchased at a lower price. She recommended going to the FDIC/RTC on Thursday morning and negotiating a price, if no bids are received on the 2 OFFICIAL RECORD CITY s1CWTARY FT. WDR.TH, i . �• .Nk land tomorrow. She stated that if we could get it for 1/2 of the asking price of $62,500, it would be an excellent deal. Mr. Barr, Mr. Silcox, and Mr. Lane agreed. Ms. Haskin asked if the Library's Master Plan included the refurbishing of the Meadowbrook branch building. STAFF: Cate Dixon stated that the Master Plan calls for moving the Meadowbrook branch closer to downtown, on Lancaster. She stated that the current building cannot be expanded. ACM Guajardo stated that staff will contact the FDIC/RTC in an effort to negotiate, and will share progress with Council before taking any action. ACTION: Schedule a briefing regarding the whole library system, to include the reductions in service levels that have occurred over the last several years. Negotiate with the FDIC/RTC for the land adjacent to the E. Regional Library site, if no bids are received tomorrow, and keep Council informed. 4. Rebudgeting of Funds for Emergency Repairs (M&C G-10559) SUMMARY: ACM Watson presented the information included in the M&C. COUNCIL: Mr. Silcox asked why the program is called a loan program if the borrowers are not required to pay the funds back. He asked if it is a HUD or a City policy to forgive the loans. STAFF: ACM Watson responded that the program is structured to forgive loans over a ten-year period, in order to allow for the City to recoup its funds if the home is sold at a profit due to the emergency repairs that are made. She stated that the loan forgiveness policy is a City policy, and that the CDC is considering placing other housing programs on a forgiveness basis as well. ACTION: None. 5. 1994 Federal Legislative Agenda SUNIlVIARY: ACM Watson presented the proposed 1994 federal legislative agenda, stating that this agenda does not differ significantly from the agenda adopted last year. OFFICIAL. RECORD 3 CITY SECRETARY FT. WORTH, TEX. /► Ank COUNCIL: Mayor Granger asked if the agenda went to the Council Legislative Committee. Mr. Meadows responded that it did not. STAFF: ACM Watson stated that the objective was to have the agenda ready by the NLC conference in March. Mr. Terrell stated that for this reason, staff revised the agenda very quickly. ACM Watson walked Council through the changes made from last year's agenda in this year's agenda. COUNCIL: Several Councilmembers questioned the crime statistics cited in the report. Mr. Meadows stated that the agenda did not include some major issues such as the continued Defense Conversion, and Empowerment Zones. He suggested scheduling a Legislative Committee meeting for next Tuesday to discuss the agenda. Mayor Granger concurred and requested that the agenda be acted upon on March 8th. ACTION: Double-check the crime statistics cited in the report. Schedule a Legislative Committee meeting for next Tuesday, and action by the whole Council on March 8th. - 6. Discussion of U.S. Housing and Urban Development Proposed Empowerment Zones/Enterprise Communities (M&C C-14196) SUMMARY: ACM Groomer presented a summary of the Empowerment Zone/Enterprise Community legislation. STAFF: Mr. Terrell reminded Council that the Council Economic Development Committee was scheduled to meet after the Council meeting to discuss this issue. ACTION: None. 7. City Council Requests for Future Agenda Items a) Mr. Lane requested that staff inform Council of the status of speeding up the Personnel Committee process. Mayor Granger added that many Councilmembers do not know the process at all, and asked that this information also be provided at the briefing. ACTION: Schedule a briefing regarding the status of speeding up the Personnel Committee process, including an overview of the process itself. 4 OFFICIAL RECORD CITY SECRETARY FT. WORTH, TEX. COUNCIL MEETING VI. Items to be Withdrawn from the Consent Agenda a) M&C G-10549 - Request for Reallocation of CDBG Funds for Eastwood Model Blocks Project. Mayor Granger withdrew this item from the consent agenda, due to the fact that both she and Ms. Webber are members of the Board of the Tarrant County Housing Partnership, and are disqualified from voting. This M&C was later approved with Mayor Granger and Ms. Webber abstaining, and Mr. Silcox opposed. ACTION: None. b) M&C P-6831 - Purchase of Confined Space Entry Access/Rescue and Retrieval Systems from Dantack Corporation for the Water Department. Mr. Terrell withdrew this item from the consent agenda due to citizen cards. This item was later approved. - ACTION: None. c) M&C C-14183 - Amendment of M&C C-13847 to Authorize Use of Any Year's Home Funds for Tarrant County Housing Partnership, Inc. Rental Housing Contract. Ms. Webber withdrew this item from the consent agenda so that both she and Mayor Granger could again abstain from voting. This item was later approved, with Mayor Granger and Ms. Webber abstaining. ACTION: None. VII. Items to be Continued or Withdrawn by Staff - None. XIII. Report of the City Manager a) M&C G-10559 - Rebudgeting of Funds for Emergency Repairs. This item was approved, with Mr. Silcox opposed. ACTION: None. OFFICIAL RECORD 5 CITY SECRETARY FT. WORTH, TEX. �. .rpf, XIV. Citizen Presentations 1) Fred Von Huben, from Citizens for Curbside Recycling, urged Council to pursue a public input policy regarding the sludge contract. OFFICIAL RECORD CITY SECRETARY 6 FT. WORTH, TEL